JACQUELINETheo was thirty minutes late.I checked my phone again as I sat in the booth by the window, pretending not to look as annoyed as I felt. The restaurant wasn’t exactly full, but the occasional chime of the door opening always made me lift my head with expectation. And every time it wasn’t him, I went back to my water glass, wondering if I should just leave.He had picked the restaurant. Said it was close to his house. Said he loved their burgers. And still, he was late. Really late.I looked down at the menu again, not even reading it at this point. The waiter had already come by twice. I’d asked for more time both times.Then finally, the door creaked again.Theo walked in, scanning the room with a sheepish look on his face. I recognized him from his pictures, though not immediately. He wasn’t quite as tall as he looked in the profile shots. Not short, just not six-foot-whatever he’d claimed. And his skin looked darker than it had online. Not sun-kissed, more like a fresh l
JACQUELINEDays had passed since Mom told me about the platinum card. Since then, neither of us had brought it up again. Not over breakfast. Not while watching TV. Not even when she was refilling the cat’s bowl with the kibble she ordered online using her own card instead of his.It was almost like we had silently agreed to forget it.But the thing was, the cat was still here.Her soft pawsteps on the wooden floor, the little meows she made when she wanted food or attention, they reminded me that Ezra had been here. That he had come to our doorstep, dropped her off, and handed us a credit card that glimmered like something out of a movie.If not for that cat, I might have convinced myself it was all a dream. That I had never met him. That I had not fallen for him, hard and fast, like an idiot. That I had not kissed him in a drunken haze. Or felt his fingers against my skin like they had belonged there forever. Or watched him disappear without saying goodbye.But forgetting Ezra was ha
EZRAThe weight of the court doors echoed behind me as I stepped into the outer corridor, the cold air tugging at the back of my neck.I was dressed in a black cloak that swept the cold floor of the corridor. After years of wearing shirts, cottons, and suits, I found this oddly discomforting.It was going to take a while to get used to these heavy fabrics again.I turned down the hall that led to the main court, each step slow but deliberate. The scent of torch smoke clung to the ceiling. The walls were carved in dark stone, etched with symbols older than the kingdom itself.As I reached the throne room, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around just in time to see Tarius slip through the door.He was wearing a cloak almost identical to mine, and he looked very comfortable in it.“Good morning, Alpha. Did you sleep well?”I gave a low nod without taking my eyes off him.“I slept very well, Tarius,” I finally answered.“Alpha,” he said, bowing his head deeply. “Forgive me. There sho
JACQUELINE“Gone for good?” I repeated, blinking at my mom like she’d grown a second head.She nodded slowly, grabbing her spoon and beginning to dig into her plate of lasagna. She was acting perfectly calm. But why wouldn’t she?She wasn’t the one who’d signed up for his classes. She wasn’t the one who had kissed him at Sammy’s party just to get back at her cheating ex. She wasn’t the one who’d fallen in love with him and was now learning that he probably was never going to come back.“What do you mean gone for good? Did he tell you that? Did Ezra say something?” Surely, he must have said something.Had his visit that night really been for me? Would he have told me he was leaving if I’d just driven straight home after our sexual encounter?She hesitated. “Well... not exactly. He didn’t say the words gone for good. But when someone shows up at your door, drops off their cat, and hands you their platinum card like it’s a spare pair of socks, it says something.”My head jerked up. “Wai
EZRAI moved to the window where Araya had stood and took in the houses littered across the streets of Grim.And for a moment, I almost believed that if I stared out into the distance hard enough, I’d be able to tell what she had been thinking. I’d be able to gauge what the fuck was going on.But my thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock.“Come in,” I called out.The door creaked open, and a woman stepped in. It was the maid from yesterday—the one who had brought food and had eyes the color that reminded me of the human girl's.Her head was bowed low, and she had a folded towel over her arm. Her voice, when she spoke, was steady.“I’ve come to draw your bath, Alpha.”I said nothing. My gaze remained fixed on the distance. With my growing distrust, I wasn’t even sure it was safe to bathe here.But I’d been out hunting and needed to clean myself of the scent of blood that I was certain still clung to my skin.“The water will be ready shortly.”She turned and disappeared into the ba
JACQUELINEI wasn't sure how long I slept, but I roused the second I felt something soft across my cheeks.I could tell that I was being touched, but the sleepy fog hadn't completely cleared for me to be able to tell by whom.But the moment the familiar smell of lavender hit, I slowly cracked one eye open and stared up at the sight of my mom gently stroking my cheek with her right thumb. Her eyes were filled with insurmountable fondness."Mom?" I whispered. She had loved to sit by my bedside and stroke my cheeks when I was younger. But that had stopped the moment Father had upped and left home without looking back."Yes, my darling," she replied with a tired smile. She didn't shift away, but she retracted her hand, and I instantly missed the warmth of her touch.I blinked slowly. She was still in the outfit she wore this morning. Her shoes had been kicked off. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, a few strands falling over her cheeks. She had just returned from work. "You're back ea